Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—It was two close finishes and one close call for Michael Waltrip—exactly what NASCAR needed.

Returning to the arena he called home for five seasons, Roberto Luongo was greeted by some old friends—the goal posts.
Luongo made 31 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the slumping Florida Panthers hit six posts last night in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
After the game, Luongo was asked about the help from the posts.

VANCOUVER—Only after 17 days of competition will the world be able to judge whether the 2010 Winter Olympics are a success.
But what they’ll think about Canada might only take two hours.
With an estimated three billion viewers expected to watch tonight’s opening ceremonies, the pressure to produce both a celebration and a showcase for Canada is immense.

VANCOUVER — As far as Patrick Chan is concerned, the quad does not make the man.
The four-revolution jump has become a compelling topic heading into the Vancouver Olympics. It has polarized a men’s figure skating field in which everyone seems to have an opinion on it, even prompting Canadian former world champion Elvis Stojko to weigh in on the subject.

VANCOUVER — Two years after piped-in vocals from a seven-year-old songbird touched off a controversy at the Beijing Games, Vancouver Olympic organizers are hoping to avoid a similar scandal by being clear about plans for the 2010 opening ceremonies.

Canada’s Olympic team hoisted its colours and, once Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other dignitaries had left, the party began yesterday at the Vancouver athletes’ village.

Jimmie Johnson’s quest for a fifth-straight NASCAR championship will begin in a back-up car.
Johnson was involved in the latest wreck at Daytona International Speedway yesterday—doing enough damage that crew chief Chad Knaus decided to scrap the primary car for Sunday’s season-opening race.

After blowing a three-goal lead in the third period against the NHL’s hottest team, it would have been easy for the Montreal Canadiens to fold.
Instead, they did the exact opposite.

WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. — Snow was in the air at Cypress Mountain on Wednesday, but just how long it stays on the ground and whether athletes will even be able to see it come race day remains unclear.

VANCOUVER — Since checking into the athletes village, Patrick Chan said he hasn’t picked up a newspaper or turned on a television set, so he was completely oblivious to rumours of a judging controversy swirling around the Olympics.